The present invention relates to a device for adjusting automobile side view mirrors.
The driver of a motor vehicle needs to monitor the traffic in the rear of his vehicle travelling in his direction. As a rule a vehicle 1' shown in FIG. 1 is provided with two mirrors for this purpose. A rear view mirror 2' is mounted inside the vehicle in front above and slightly to the right of a driver 3'. A side view mirror 4' is mounted outside the vehicle in front and slightly to the left of the driver. The proper adjustment of the rear view mirror to present to the driver a full view of the road and the traffic behind him presents as a rule no problem. However, the view offered by this rear view mirror within the angle .alpha. does not include a portion of the left lane and the area to the left and immediately behind the vehicle l'within an angle .beta.. This is a well known "blind spot". The importance of being able to visualize a car 5' or an obstacle located in the blind spot is well known.
The proper adjustment or aiming of the side view mirror 4' is as a rule a subjective procedure and presents certain difficulties to some drivers. Some car manufacturers recommend to adjust a side view mirror to the center of an adjacent lane of traffic with a slight overlap of the view obtained in the inside mirror. The procedure which is commonly used for adjusting the side view mirror without an object in the blind spot includes first aiming the side view mirror to visualize the tail end of the car 1 and then tilting the mirror a "little bit" with the hope that it will afford a view of the car 5'or other object located in the blind spot. The problem with this procedure is that as a rule there is no target to aim at.
Another procedure is to adjust the side view mirror while driving. In this case, the driver must wait for a car 5' properly located in the blind spot, aim the side view mirror 4' at the moving car 5', and to exercise judgment, during which procedure his eyes must wonder away from the road in front of him. This is an uncertain and hazardous procedure.
The same is true with respect to a side view mirror which is mounted outside the vehicle in front and slightly to the right of the vehicle.
We recognized these problems and proposed a side view mirror assembly for an automobile, which avoids the above specified difficulties. Some of our proposals are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,022,747 and 5,122,910. Side view mirror assemblies disclosed in these patents include a side view mirror and an auxiliary mirror which is attached to the side view mirror and has a reflective surface considerably smaller than that of the side view mirror and so inclined with respect to the side view mirror that it enables the driver of an automobile to see in the auxiliary mirror a target provided on the automobile. When the target is seen by the driver in the auxiliary mirror the line of sight of the driver looking at the side view mirror is directed toward the required blind spot area near the automobile. The target to be seen by the driver of an automobile is located in the above listed patents on the body of the automobile.
A further modification of the side view mirror assemblies in accordance with our proposals is possible and desirable.